The Dunedin City Council has applied for retrospective
resource consent to avoid any possibility of a legal
entanglement over emergency beach repair work at St Clair and
Middle beaches almost two years ago.
The consents, lodged with the Dunedin City Council and Otago
Regional Council, were for a series of projects undertaken
following storms in 2007, which caused severe erosion and
threatened parts of Kettle Park.
The consents covered the transportation of rocks and sand to
the eroded areas, the construction of rock "reno mattresses"
to protect the beaches and dunes, and the removal of clay
from the area for safety reasons.
The consents also allowed for more work to be undertaken
should a repeat of the erosion occur this winter.
Yesterday, council parks and reserves team leader Martin
Thompson said the five-year consents would cover the time it
was expected to take to finish new beach management plans for
the area.
Work was continuing on a series of projects at the beaches,
including a GPS survey by two University of Otago students,
mapping the changing form and volume of sand on the beaches,
he said.
The information would be used in a year-long computer
modelling project, beginning later this year, which aimed to
help identify a long-term solution to erosion in the area.
Options ranged from a multimillion-dollar sea wall extension
to simply continuing the re-stocking of sand.
In the meantime, the council had a budget of $400,000 to
maintain a "holding pattern" of remedial work in the area, Mr
Thompson said.
The council's legal advice had been to seek resource consent
for the works undertaken to date, despite their authorisation
under emergency powers, he said.
"At some point you still have to go back and formalise it, or
do the paperwork," he said.
There had been a good natural build-up of sand at the beaches
since July last year and dunes were not under imminent
threat, but that could change if a series of storms was to
hit - something that could happen at any time, Mr Thompson
said.
The public had until April 15 to make a submission.
A hearing was not expected before June, he said.
